


A Dance Under the Stars

by kropotkhristian



Series: Talking About their Feelings [1]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: A gross amount of affection, Adora apologizes, Awkward Flirting, Canon Compliant, Complete, Dancing, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Post-Season/Series Finale, Yearning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:33:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25207021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kropotkhristian/pseuds/kropotkhristian
Summary: "Catra wasn’t sure if she would ever get used to this. She was certain that she didn’t deserve it - this feeling of happiness that enveloped her as she looked at the stars. The party had mostly died down by the time she escaped to the balcony, but she needed to be alone."A post-finale one shot where Adora and Catra find time away from the party to talk in-depth about their feelings.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Catra & Glimmer (She-Ra)
Series: Talking About their Feelings [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1894090
Comments: 16
Kudos: 236





	A Dance Under the Stars

Catra wasn’t sure if she would ever get used to this. She was certain that she didn’t deserve it - this feeling of happiness that enveloped her as she looked at the stars. The party had mostly died down by the time she escaped to the balcony, but she needed to be alone. 

Horde Prime was defeated, and the rest of the victorious Rebellion had spent the remainder of the day celebrating just outside of Bright Moon castle. Of course, Catra spent time with Adora, Gimmer, and Bow - _her friends,_ she thought, bewildered - and she made a point to formally apologize to Scorpia. She joined in the festivities for a while - she played ice ball with Frosta, and begrudgingly sang a sea chantey with Sea Hawk. But it became too much to handle all at once. She tried to catch Adora’s eyes, but Adora was still deep in the throes of a competitive game with Netossa. Catra wandered away from the fire that the crowd huddled around since nightfall. Glimmer, resting against Bow’s shoulder, noticed Catra walking into the darkness and turned to whisper to him.

“I’ll just be a second.” 

Bow looked and saw Catra wandering alone. He gave Glimmer a knowing nod, before pulling an instrument out from behind his back.  
  
“Okay, but hurry back. You won’t want to miss me playing my lute!” Bow grinned, and Glimmer rolled her eyes before kissing him softly on the cheek. 

Glimmer moved out of Bow’s embrace and walked towards Catra, putting her arm around her shoulders. Catra jumped, startled, before relaxing slightly at the sight of Glimmer.  
  
“Whoa, Sparkles, what are you doing? Look, I don’t need your help or anything. I just…”  
  
“You need to be alone. I get it! This is getting to be a bit much for the rest of us, too, and we’re already used to Sea Hawk.”  
  
Catra looked at Glimmer with defeat. “How did you know?”  
  
Glimmer scoffed. “You might think you’re good at hiding your emotions, but you’re probably a worse actress than Adora. This has to be all new for you. On top of the fact that you may have been trying to destroy most of these people until... “  
  
“Okay, okay, you’re right! I’m overwhelmed. So, where are you taking me?”  
  
“To your new room, silly! Come on, follow me.”  
  
Glimmer took Catra’s hand and led her into Bright Moon castle. Catra’s mind jumped to the last time she saw this place, and her heart started racing. _I was so full of rage when I led the attack… I dug my claws into She-Ra’s - into Adora’s - back. How could they have forgiven me for that?_ Catra closed her eyes tightly and breathed slowly. _You’re not that person anymore. You’ll be okay, you’re getting better._

By the time she opened her eyes again, she was standing before a giant door. Glimmer enthusiastically opened the door and led Catra inside. 

"Welcome home!”  
  
Even in the dark, Catra gasped at how big the room was. She had never seen anything like it. The closest thing she could think of was the large, cavernous rooms aboard Horde Prime’s flagship, but those were so sleek and sterilized. This room was bright, colorful, and a little _too_ tidy. It didn’t take long for Catra to realize that this was Adora’s room.

“Don’t worry, I already talked to Adora.” Glimmer chimed in. “And don’t think I didn’t notice Adora sneaking into your room at night while we were in space. She wants you in here. We know you’ll both feel safer.”  
  
Catra smirked “Well, leave it to Adora to request the biggest room in the palace, right?”  
  
Glimmer looked at Catra with a warm smile. “It’s not the biggest, but I know it’s probably not what you are used to. Adora thought it was A LOT the first time she was here, too. She even -” Glimmer’s voice started to crack, laughing through her words “she even requested that we switch out the big comfy bed for something more like the Horde’s slabs. This stiff bed is not the original bed!”  
  
“Oh _wow,_ are you serious?” Catra laughed and shook her head. “Adora just can’t let herself get comfortable.”  
  
They both cackled for a moment, before Glimmer took Catra’s hand and looked at her with knowing eyes. “She missed you. The first night she was here... she had to have me and Bow sleep in here because she wasn’t used to sleeping without you. It stayed that way for weeks before she could finally get some rest. As much rest as Adora ever gets, anyway.” 

Catra blushed. _Adora missed me._  
  
Glimmer turned towards the door. “Well, I know you wanted to be alone, so…here I am, leaving you alone.”  
  
“Glimmer, wait…”  
  
“Hmm?”  
  
“... thanks. For getting me out of there. I didn’t mean to take you away from the party or anything…” Catra rubbed her hand against the side of her arm, and looked down towards the floor.  
  
Glimmer turned back to Catra. “Don’t mention it, Horde Scum. I’ll send Adora up here soon. I’m sure she’s already frantically looking for you.”  
  
Catra smiled shyly, and Glimmer vanished in a shower of pink sparkles. 

As soon as she was alone, Catra turned towards the balcony doors and slipped outside. She crawled onto the stone balcony wall and let her right leg dangle off the edge. She gazed up at the stars.  
  
_I can’t believe this is real. I can’t believe I get a second chance. I don’t deserve it._ _  
_ _  
_ Catra sighed, and let her gaze fall towards the party down below. From this vantage point, she could see fire raging, and the relaxed faces of the sleepy party-goers. Sea Hawk seemed to be regaling them with yet another exaggerated tale. She smiled.  
  
_But, there is time now. I’ve already come so far._

Catra’s ears perked up, and she heard a familiar mewling behind her. Soft, padded toes came thumping onto the balcony.  
  
“Oh, hey Melog. Sorry for leaving you down there.” Catra lowered herself from the balcony wall and leaned her head into Melog’s ethereal mane, before her ears perked up again. More footsteps.

Catra raised her head from Melog to see an unmistakable blonde poof walking towards the balcony door.  
  
“Hey, Adora.” Catra greeted her with a soft smile, while pushing her hands through Melog’s fur.

Adora’s heart fluttered. There wasn’t an ounce of animosity in Catra’s words. No hidden meaning or malicious agenda. She could see the trust radiating out of Catra’s eyes, and she could hardly believe this was real. After such a long time fighting, Catra was actually greeting her like she was the most welcome sight in the world. 

Melog bowed contentedly at Catra before moving back inside. Adora walked towards Catra, a concerned look on her face.  
  
“Catra, I… I was worried. Why did you run off?”  
  
Catra’s smile faded a bit and her ears drooped. “I just… I needed to get away from the party. Sparkles offered to show me where this room was, and I thought it might be good to be alone for a while.”  
  
“You should have told me.”  
  
“You were playing that game with Netossa, and I didn’t want to interrupt.” Catra bumped her shoulder against Adora’s. “It’s not like I don’t know how competitive you are.”  
  
Adora smirked. “Yeah, well, I won the game.”  
  
“Of course you did.” Catra let out a small laugh. “ _I_ wasn’t there to beat you.”

“Hey! C’mon, you’ve probably never even played this game before. I’d beat you at this one.”

“I think I watched it long enough to figure it out. I’ve already come up with a few tricks.”  
  
“Oh, so you’ve already figured out how to cheat _?_ ”  
  
They both laughed, and Adora drew herself in closer to Catra. Her laugh faded, and she looked at Catra with concerned eyes again. _Oh no._ Adora turned her gaze towards the floor, and Catra felt a bubble of anxiety rise to the surface of her skin. _I know I’m still broken, Adora, I know. Please don’t think I don’t know._ She took a step away from Adora.  
  
Catra started to ramble. Her hands waved in front of her body as a defensive shield. “Look… I know that there’s still a lot of work for me to do. And I know that I haven’t immediately made up for everything I did, and I know it’s gonna take a lot of time for everything to be okay…”

“Whoa, whoa!” Adora placed her hand on Catra’s shoulder. “You don’t need to apologize right now. You’ve done enough of that lately.”  
  
Catra took a deep breath before taking Adora’s hand. “Then, what’s wrong?”

Adora stepped back and looked down again. She let Catra’s hand drop before muttering a response. “I… I actually wanted to apologize to you.”  
  
Catra’s eyes widened. “...What? Why?”  
  
Adora blew out a gust of air. “I’ve wanted to say this for a really long time. I wrote you letters that I never sent, while we were still fighting - I was trying to find the best way to say it. I wasn’t sure I would ever get the chance. And I definitely wasn’t sure I knew what to say until today.”

Catra took a step back and sat down on the edge of the balcony wall, her face blank. Adora followed her, taking a seat on her right. Adora rested her arms in her lap, looking down at herself. Catra didn’t dare move her eyes.  
  
“You don’t need to apologize to me, Adora.” Catra mumbled.  
  
“Yes, I do. For the longest time - our whole lives, really - I let you take the blame for everything. I let Shadow Weaver hurt you. I remember, when we were in the Crystal Castle together - you said that I never stood up for you, not in any way that would have put me on Shadow Weaver’s bad side. You were right. I let her belittle you and treat you like you were worthless, while I got promoted and praised. And then I left you, like it never even mattered. I’m so sorry, Catra.”

Adora attempted to pull Catra into a hug, but Catra scooted away, a small scowl on her face. _Why is she doing this? Shadow Weaver was the one that caused that pain. She shouldn’t have to apologize for this._

“Adora, stop. None of that is your fault. I should have left with you. It was my fault.”  
  
Adora closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She centered herself before speaking again. “Catra, I don’t regret leaving the Horde. I know I did the right thing. But not a single day went by that I didn’t regret leaving _you._ I shouldn’t have been so self-righteous. I should have told you how much you mattered, how much I believed in you. I should have told you that you were never second best, and that you were always worth it. I should have shown you how much you meant to me. Maybe then… maybe then it would have been easier for you to leave with me.”  
  
A small look of recognition spread across Catra's face. She shifted close to Adora as tears welled up in her eyes. She leaned her head down into Adora’s chest and sobbed, holding tight onto the fabric of her shirt. Adora laid her hand on Catra’s hair and leaned her chin on the top of her head. 

“I’m so sorry, Catra.” Adora’s voice cracked at the edges of the words, as teardrops started to dot her cheeks. She placed her hand under Catra’s chin and lifted her head up, staring into her heterochromatic eyes.“But thank you for finding me again. Thank you for giving me a second chance.”  
  
Catra looked at Adora, seeing that dopey smile that Adora gave to her and ônly her. _I definitely don’t deserve this._ Catra rubbed the tears from her eyes and let out a small laugh. She slugged Adora’s arm softly. “Stop being such a dummy.” Catra sniffles. “I already forgave you.”  
  
Adora slumped down and breathed out in relief. She laid down across the edge of the balcony and pulled Catra onto her chest. Adora scratched Catra behind her ears gently, and Catra let out a relaxed purr. Adora let her left arm graze the balcony floor as she gazed up at the stars.  
  
Catra smiled wryly. “This is kind of a precarious position you have us in here, princess. Are you sure we’re not gonna fall off this balcony? I don’t think even the ‘mighty’ She-Ra could survive a fall like that.”  
  
Adora giggled. “Oh no, Catra, don’t tell me you’re suddenly afraid of a little _danger_.”

 _I’ve never felt safer in all my life than I do right now. Here, with you._ Catra tightened up against Adora’s body. “Just… make sure you’re holding onto me. I would hate for you to have to jump off a ledge for me again.”  
  
Adora raised an eyebrow and looked down at Catra’s face, an unmistakable smirk adorning her face. “Oh, but I would.”

Catra blushed before elbowing Adora in the ribs. “Stop! You’re such an idiot.” Catra’s smile betrayed her words.

Adora let out a belly laugh, and Catra couldn’t help but laugh with her. Catra snuggled further into the nape of Adora’s neck, and Adora relaxed into her embrace. Adora returned her eyes to the night sky.  
  
“You know, I hadn’t really had a chance to look at the stars. They’re really amazing. I was so busy trying to save everybody - I never had the chance to just take them in like this. It’s like...we lived our whole lives without them, and now… well, here they are.”

“Well, if we’re really gonna bring magic back to the universe or whatever, you should probably get used to the idea of looking at stars. There probably won’t be much else to look at,” Catra teased. A silence fell between them. Catra bit her lip, forcing herself to soften. “But, I’m really glad we get to look at them right now, together. They really are beautiful.”

Adora smiled and hugged Catra tighter. A look of recognition spread across Adora’s face, and she sat up slowly from the balcony wall. Catra slid down Adora’s body, landing on her left side, seated.  
  
Adora held Catra’s hand, looking down at their intertwined fingers. “It’s like… everything got put back together again. Everything is where it’s supposed to be. Etheria was never supposed to be in Despondos. We were always supposed to have these stars. It was the First Ones, with the Heart of Etheria... Mara had to put us there, to protect us. But we beat them! We pulled ourselves out of Despondos, we activated the Failsafe, and we beat their weapon! We beat the whole galactic Horde. The stars are back now. And…” Adora squeezed Catra’s hand, and leaned her head on Catra’s shoulder. Her tongue tripped over her words. “...you...uh...we....“ Adora sighed. “...you know, everybody is right where they should be.” 

Catra felt a warmth rising in her chest, and she could barely contain her racing heart, as Adora buried her face deeper into Catra’s shoulder. _Now is your chance to be open._

“Adora?” Catra struggled to get the word out.   
  
“Hmm?” Adora raised her head from Catra’s shoulder, and looked into Catra’s eyes. 

Catra breathed deeply, steadying herself. “Did I ever tell you why I saved Glimmer?”  
  
Adora shrunk back slightly, but held onto Catra’s hand. “No. But Glimmer… she said something about how you wanted to do one good thing in your life.”  
  
Catra looked down at her own lap. “It sounds like Sparkles left out most of the story.”  
  
Adora gave Catra a trusting look. “Now you get to tell me, then.”

Catra took one more deep breath, closing her eyes before squeezing Adora’s hand tighter. “When… When I was taken by Horde Prime…I hated myself so much. I was so broken, Adora. And I knew it.” Catra opened her eyes, her gaze fixed on the ground in front of her. “I had done everything I thought I needed to do to finally feel whole. I proved that I was a capable force captain - I was so much stronger than anybody ever believed I could be. But, it felt so hollow. I had driven everybody away. And I thought I would feel powerful, and safe, but instead I just felt like…” Catra closed her eyes again. _Like I was becoming someone like Shadow Weaver. “_ ... like I was something I never wanted to be. But I didn’t know what to do. At first, I just fell back into the same pattern, doing what Horde Prime asked me to do.”  
  
Adora moved to lay her head on Catra’s lap. Catra pulled out Adora’s ponytail before allowing Adora to rest on her legs. Catra looked down to see Adora’s blue eyes staring back up at her, and her hair spread out like fire. _I can’t believe she trusts me this much. I know I don’t deserve this._ Catra began stroking Adora’s hair before starting again. “But Glimmer…she talked to me. I would come visit her cell sometimes, against Horde Prime’s orders. We’d talk about our favorite memories, or…or what we would do if we were back on Etheria. Glimmer always talked about you…and I realized, before long, that…that’s what I wanted to talk about, too. You were what I wanted to remember.”  
  


Adora pulled Catra’s hand to her chest and held it against her heart. Catra continued, “Glimmer had refused to work with Horde Prime, so I knew that he was going to do something to her. And I saw… Horde Prime showed me the, uh, the chipping.” Catra winced, instinctively reaching to her neck with her free hand. Adora rubbed the hand she was holding, and Catra slowed her breathing to relax. She let her free hand fall before squeezing Adora’s tighter. “He did it to Hordak, before, and he showed me. And I was afraid. Glimmer told me that you were coming to rescue her, and I didn’t want to let Horde Prime capture you. But I was scared, and I didn’t know if I could do anything. Glimmer asked me to do one good thing in my life, but I didn’t believe I could change.”

Catra returned her free hand to Adora’s hair, unwinding the knots to center herself. “But then...I remembered something. I remembered a time when we were kids, when I hurt you. I had run away from everybody because I was upset about… I was upset that you were being so friendly to Lonnie. I was jealous. And when you first found me, I scratched you.”  
  
Adora touched her own face. “Oh, I remember this. Those scratches healed so quickly.”

Catra nodded at Adora before continuing. “Remember how I refused to come to dinner? I stayed behind those boxes for so long. But… you came and found me again. You asked me to come to dinner with you, because it wouldn’t be the same without me. Even though I had scratched you, you still wanted to see me. You still trusted me. You wanted me to be there. And you gave me that stupid, dopey, hopeful grin, that you’re always giving me. Like you never doubted me for a second.”  
  
Adora reached her hand up to Catra’s face and touched her cheek. “I still don’t.”

Catra grabbed Adora’s hand and leaned further into her touch, tears returning to the corners of her eyes. “When I remembered that moment, something changed. I knew that I could do it. I wanted to finally live up to the hope that you had for me…and I was ready to hold onto that hope, all the way to the end. I wanted to do just one good thing in my life, because I knew that you were such a dummy, you somehow believed that I could. But then you saved me, and…”  
  
Adora raised her head from Catra’s lap. She placed her hands on both of Catra’s shoulders and looked into her eyes with that same dopey smile. “And then you did so many good things.”  
  
Catra felt the tears come down as she hugged Adora. She leaned her head on Adora’s shoulder. “Before…you said that you were sorry that you never let me know how much you believed in me. In that moment, on Horde Prime’s ship… I knew that you believed in me. I remembered that you did. And it saved me.”  
  
Adora felt a lump in her throat as she hugged Catra tighter. Adora knew, then, that she really was forgiven. They held onto each other for a long moment, tears falling from both their eyes, before Catra broke the embrace. She let out a choked laugh. “So, is this what being a princess is about? Crying all the time?”  
  
Adora sniffled and wiped her face. She cracked a smile. “Maybe sometimes. Maybe today.”

Catra reached for Adora’s hand and they looked at each other knowingly. Adora shifted her eyes away from Catra and blushed, looking down. “Catra?”  
  
Catra looked at Adora, but Adora didn’t meet her gaze. Adora lifted her hand to push her own hair behind her ears. “Do you think that you could... um… stroke my hair again? That felt really good.”  
  
Catra looked flustered, but sat up straight and smiled, tapping her hands on her lap. “Come here, dummy.” 

Adora snuggled her head into Catra’s lap, and Catra began running her fingers through Adora’s hair again. “It’s so long, Adora. You always hide it behind that stupid hair poof.”  
  
Adora feigned offense. “Hey! I like my stupid hair poof!”  
  
Catra laughed. “You never had the greatest fashion sense. Have you ever even _worn_ a different outfit?”  
  
Adora landed a soft punch into Catra’s stomach. “Shut up! Maybe I was too busy, you know, _saving the world_ ? I didn’t have time to change!”  
  
Catra giggled, before purring down at Adora. “Well, you don’t have to save the world anymore. What do you want to wear, now? You can just be yourself, Adora.”

Adora buried her face into Catra’s stomach, feeling the purr vibrate through her face. “You don’t know how much it means to hear you say that.”  
  
Catra laughed. “What, that you don’t have great fashion sense?”  
  
Adora giggled, pulling her face away from Catra’s body and staring back up at her face. Adora whined. “Nooo, you know what I meant. That…. That I can just be myself, now.”

Catra teased. “Oooh, that.” Catra let her grin soften into a knowing smile, as she placed her hand on Adora’s cheek. “Well, I meant that too.”

Adora leaned into Catra’s touch. She gazed up at Catra, hoping that her eyes carried the appreciation she felt. She let Catra return to stroking her hair before she spoke. “When I was taking the Failsafe to the Heart…when I was alone... I saw this vision of Mara. She was… She talked to me. She told me that I shouldn’t have to sacrifice myself, and that I was worth more than just fulfilling my destiny. She told me that I deserved to be happy. She reminded me of when you asked me what I _really_ wanted… you know… before you left.”

Catra bristled, her tail tightening behind her. A wave of guilt flashed over Catra’s eyes. “Adora, I’m…”  
  
“No, no, let me finish. I was so confused… both with what you said, and with what Mara said. What did I want? What even made me happy? I didn’t know… I hardly knew who I was. Aside from being She-Ra, aside from having a purpose, or a mission, or a destiny. That’s what I’ve been doing all my life… following what I thought was my destiny, doing what others needed me to do. First I was the promising Horde soldier, then She-Ra… when have I ever just been myself? I didn’t know how to accept the fact that I _deserved_ to be loved, because I didn’t know how to accept myself. And all this confusion was causing She-Ra… I lost her. And I was scared…”  
  
Catra closed her eyes, afraid to relive the event again. She opened her eyes again and stroked Adora’s hand, trying to comfort her. Adora returned the gesture.  
  
“... But then, you came back. And you took me to the Heart. And you stayed with me. And when you…uhh..” Adora stiffened her hand, looking away nervously. “...when you said what you said…. Well, you’ve known me my whole life, Catra. Nobody knows me better than you do. You’ve seen me at my worst. I’ve hurt you, I’ve cried with you, I’ve fought you… And you never needed any grand destiny from me. If I wasn’t a hero, or if I failed to do what I needed to do…if I was just plain old Adora... you’d still want to be with me. You’d want me to stay with you, just as I am. When I heard that you… you know, that you accepted me like that, and that you always have… I felt this strength come back. I felt She-Ra come back. Because I knew that if you could feel that way about me... then I could feel that way about myself, too. Whoever I was, I was worth saving. I had a life worth living. I believed in myself.”  
  
Catra met Adora’s eyes and smiled as Adora raised her hand behind Catra’s head. Adora gently stroked Catra’s short hair, looking into her eyes with all the affection she could muster. “I’m so lucky to have you.”  
  
Catra felt the tears gathering in the corner of her eyes again. _I don’t deserve this. But… maybe it isn’t about what we deserve. Maybe it is just about accepting these moments as they come, and trying to live up to them. Trying to be as good as they make us feel._ _  
_ _  
_ Catra’s ears perked up again. She heard music coming from the party below. Bow had started playing his lute, and Catra wanted to avoid crying again. She raised Adora up from her lap and hopped onto the balcony floor.  
  
“Do you hear that? It sounds like there is music coming from the party down there. Do you… do you want to dance with me, or whatever?”  
  
Catra stretched out her hand, and Adora looked up to see a longing face reaching out to her. Adora snorted. “You want to dance to Bow’s lute playing? It’s not even good…”  
  
Catra’s face grew more determined. “You’re not gonna make me ask you again, are you?”  
  
Adora took Catra’s hand and Catra led her in a dance across the balcony floor.

Adora started snickering, and Catra felt a brush of embarrassment. “What? What’s so funny?”  
  
Catra spun Adora out of her embrace, holding tight to her hand, before Adora answered her question. “Oh, nothing, Catra. It’s just, you know, dancing under the stars like this… Some might even call this _romantic.”_

“Shut up!” Catra laughed and spun Adora back in, then dipped her. She looked down and grinned. “This is _not_ because I like you.”  
  
Adora looked up at Catra with that same dopey, hopeful smile. She felt a rush of determination, before grabbing the back of Catra’s head and pulling her into a fierce kiss. Catra’s eyes widened in shock before closing her eyes and leaning into the kiss herself. She pulled Adora back up from the dip, and Adora let her arms fall down over Catra’s shoulders as she held their bodies together as long as she could. When Adora pulled away, she let her forehead rest on Catra’s forehead. “I love you so much, Catra.”  
  
A thrilling warmth spread throughout all of Catra’s body. “I love you too, Adora.”  
  
Adora sank her head into Catra’s shoulder, and Catra purred warmly into her embrace. They both swayed back and forth under the stars.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I mostly wanted to write this because I wanted to give Catra and Adora the space to really talk about why they loved each other. Comments are always welcome!


End file.
